Don't think Rams will draft ILB high

[SteezyEndo]

So if Williams for some reason goes down who do we have to start at CB along with Ramsey? Long and what else?

Perhaps Donte Deayon?

 

[OldSchool]

Perhaps Donte Deayon?

And Deayon is a SB winning team caliber 3rd CB?

 

[Allen2McVay]

And Deayon is a SB winning team caliber 3rd CB?

Like most, I have no idea who is at center but I still rate CB as the Rams greatest need.

 

[OldSchool]

Like most, I have no idea who is at center but I still rate CB as the Rams greatest need.

Russell Wilson, Murray and whoever the Niners draft along with all those WR's and TE's and we have very little behind Ramsey and Williams. Our safeties are good but CB depth is a major issue plus who knows if we sign Williams long term.

 

[Merlin]

So if Williams for some reason goes down who do we have to start at CB along with Ramsey? Long and what else?

You can play that game with other positions. Like LT.

Corner is a need but not the biggest need. Do you disagree?

 

[OldSchool]

You can play that game with other positions. Like LT.

Corner is a need but not the biggest need. Do you disagree?

You have 3 CB on the field a hell of a lot more often than you have 2 LT's on the field though. My point is are you comfortable enough with our 3rd CB to say we don't need to add anything to the position? I disagree personally I think it's our #2 need after either a starting C or RG if we move Corbett in.

 

[Merlin]

You have 3 CB on the field a hell of a lot more often than you have 2 LT's on the field though. My point is are you comfortable enough with our 3rd CB to say we don't need to add anything to the position? I disagree personally I think it's our #2 need after either a starting C or RG if we move Corbett in.

It's possible the Rams agree depends on what they think of Long and maybe Burgess. And as I said I am prepared either way for that pick.

 

[Allen2McVay]

I like Burgess a lot. Right before his injury, thought he was playing really well. Also think he is very versatile.

Pleasantly surprised with how well Scott played late in the season as the third safety with Rapp and Burgess on IR.

Hope the Rams have a plan for Rapp who I think is a playmaker near the line and in a nickel-LB role.

With Fuller, that’s four safeties with varying skill sets, including nickel roles.

Still going to miss John Johnson a ton. Think he is an excellent player hitting his prime on a reasonable contract. To be honest, that is exactly how I felt last year at this time about the loss of Cory Littleton, and I was WAY wrong.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I like Burgess a lot. Right before his injury, thought he was playing really well. Also think he is very versatile.

It was only 7 games, but he looked pretty good out there.

 

[Rambitious1]

Been thinking about this and looking at draft prospects, and while I know a lot of people see ILB as a huge need and something we should target early, I don't see it the same way. Could we get better at ILB? Yes absolutely. At times last year was our ILB core a liability.. especially in pass coverage? Yes absolutely. But there are a few things to consider when looking at ILB-

1) This is hands down the least important position on our entire defense. With the trend of 11 personnel (3WR sets) sweeping through the NFL, more often than not we would rather have an extra CB or S on the field. Last year 28/32 NFL teams ran 11 personnel between 45%-70%, the highest mark in NFL history.

2) Our best ILB Travin Howard did not play at all last year. In the off-season last year our coaching staff was singing his praises as he was going to start at ILB.

3) Kaiser, Reeder, Young, and Hollins all received significant snaps in Howard's absence and should improve this year. They all were given a lot of plays which will allow them to develop and improve with a lot of film to study.


So looking at our ILBs, if we bring in zero new bodies it's still safe to assume this position group is better this year with Howard back and the improvement of the other guys. Will we be an elite run defense without more dominant ILBs? No we wont. BUT we finished as the #1 defense last year regardless, while playing Kaiser, Reeder, and Young playing significant snaps.

I think EDGE, and CB are much bigger priorities if we're looking at defense in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. And obliviously OL is the main priority on offense. We have to rush the passer well. We have to cover well on the backend. EDGE and CB are just significantly more important in todays NFL and especially in our scheme. So at 57, 88, and 103 I think we will go OL, EDGE, CB, and maybe DL before we address ILB. And to all the people worried about this position, I think we can logically expect improvement from that group next year if no new talent is added. With Raheem Morris at DC, will he covet a ILB high? It is possible but again we have a serious question mark across from Floyd at OLB, and also at nickel CB. I think we'll be focused on addressing these first, instead of selecting an ILB with a high pick that we might take off the field in passing situations.

Nice analysis

 

[BonifayRam]

The Rams depending on CB David Long's 2019/2020 version as this team's 3rd corner is a very big gamble & NOT smart. One injury away from starting could end this team's hopes for a playoff run very quickly.

Been saying this..... a big need to draft a corner on day two & on day three.

 

[dang]

Yeah I don't think so either. LB is another one of those low value positions these days.

More and more I'm thinking they go DL and corner early if the ones available are deemed good enough.

With needs on OL/Edge/CB there is little chance the Rams pick up an ILB in rounds 2-4 in this years draft. But much like Blythe at center we have C- players at ILB. They can’t cover TEs well and they are soft against strong running teams (GB, SF, BAL). Time to address that weak spot. Howard is the unknown but not likely to be a sideline to sideline stud. Reeder and Kiser had moments but are limited. Young IMO should be let go to save $2m in cap space. That $$$ could become very useful in rounding out the roster. There are some FAs out there (KJWright, Avery Williamson, etc.) that could bolster the ILB corp.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

One linebacker that the Rams met with is Ok St Amen Ongbogbemida. I watched his highlights. He seems to be a pass coverage type and not a run stopper.

 

[Mojo Ram]

They need to imo. All the guys they have are small aside from Kiser. This has been a weakness for quite a while as we know and they get gashed in the run game year after year.

Under Philips yeah, middle of the pack. The rush D was addressed last year however. Rams finished 3rd best. Floyd had something to do with that as well as a fresh scheme and IMO better depth up front.

 

[Mojo Ram]

In our last playoff loss GB ran for 188 yards.

A hampered Donald had everything to do with everything the Rams couldn't do on defense that day.
They didn't finish 3rd best in run D and collapse for no reason that day.
Packers had it good that day. That's a fact.

My opinion is the Rams win that matchup 75% of the time with a healthy AD wrecking at the LOS.

 

[Tano]

I have a feeling we will sign a FA CB cheap.

Doesn't have to be great just somewhat dependable if one of our CBs go down

 

[Shuie3225]

A hampered Donald had everything to do with everything the Rams couldn't do on defense that day.
They didn't finish 3rd best in run D and collapse for no reason that day.
Packers had it good that day. That's a fact.

My opinion is the Rams win that matchup 75% of the time with a healthy AD wrecking at the LOS.

Agreed. The rise of SJD has helped too as he's developed into a nice player on the inside. A'shawn Robinson is known for his run D and didnt play much at all last year, so he should help a lot as well. Plus another year of development for Gaines.

Again I wont be upset if we draft an ILB with one of our first 3 picks, I just think we have more important holes to fill on defense like Edge and CB, and on offense with IOL. If our offense played better, we would've proven you can win the SB with sub par ILBs. We also proved it again last year with the #1 overall defense and #3 run defense as you said. With all our ILBs being young players, I just really doubt we'll use one of our premium picks on that position. I actually think we might draft another interior DL before ILB. I'd say Edge and OL are top priorities, then CB, interior DL, then WR and ILB.

I think Travin Howard will be a pleasant surprise to many this year, and our group is still very young and developing.

Howard - 24yrs old
Kaiser - 26yrs old
Reeder - 26yrs old
Young - 26yrs old
Hollins - 25yrs old (while I think he'll mostly play OLB, he offers versatility in certain packages and can move inside)

 

[Angry Ram]

A hampered Donald had everything to do with everything the Rams couldn't do on defense that day.
They didn't finish 3rd best in run D and collapse for no reason that day.
Packers had it good that day. That's a fact.

My opinion is the Rams win that matchup 75% of the time with a healthy AD wrecking at the LOS.

Yup, and add another DL to help if AD needs a breather or gets hurt again.

 

[sjm1582002]

A hampered Donald had everything to do with everything the Rams couldn't do on defense that day.
They didn't finish 3rd best in run D and collapse for no reason that day.
Packers had it good that day. That's a fact.

My opinion is the Rams win that matchup 75% of the time with a healthy AD wrecking at the LOS.

I don't think so when your DC is interviewing for HC jobs six days prior to your next road playoff game. I did not think that was even allowed until your season ended.

In any event, Reeder had 13 tackles in the GB game and I think he's a keeper. As is the oft injured Kiser.

The rest of the Ram ILB's rarely make much of an impact and I hope we do not pass on an obvious upgrade at this position.

 

[dang]

I have a feeling we will sign a FA CB cheap.

Doesn't have to be great just somewhat dependable if one of our CBs go down

Hill definitely contributed but IMO can be replaced by a number of remaining FAs. I believe we draft a CB as well.